Senior Year Road Trip Ideas

A few of my friends and I had planned on taking a short road trip to Bonnaroo this summer, but a couple of us don't have the money saved up to buy the tickets that are releasing relatively soon. There are about 3-5 people going, depending on financial issues, as our only real rule is that everyone must help pay, whether for gas or food or whatever. All of us have jobs and are saving up, so I don't that will really end up being an issue. We're starting in central Arkansas, and wanting to stay sort of close, but willing to go up to 3 states away, unless we find something completely worth going farther out.

The only idea on our list right now is Austin, TX, because I know the area a little, and my dad lives about an hour or so away in case anything goes wrong. We're just trying to come up with some alternate places to go, hopefully with a big music or art community, that we can all look into and see where we want to go the most. Also, I'm pretty sure that a couple of us are set on camping at least a couple of nights. The longest that our trip will last is a week.

Problems

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I'm not quite sure that I completely understand all your intentions, but I do see a number of red flags in your initial description of your plans. The most glaring is that you say that the main objective of this RoadTrip is Bonnaroo, in Manchester TN, and yet the only place you're listing as a secondary stop is Austin TX which is 500 miles in the wrong direction. Adding a thousand miles to your trip so that you have responsible adult nearby "in case anything goes wrong" simply makes no sense to me.

Neither does the vague proviso "that everyone must help pay, whether for gas or food or whatever." Without further specification, that is an almost sure-fire recipe for hurt feelings and long drives in silence when someone pays for a single meal (thus fulfilling the 'contract') while relying on everyone else to pick up the difference. You need to be much more specific, and much more even handed, in distributing the costs and responsibilities for this trip. For example, who's car are you going to use and how is that person going to be reimbursed for the wear and tear on his vehicle? Who will do the driving? Do they have insurance? Is anyone not yet 18? That would bring up another load of problems such as not being able to rent a motel room or get needed medical care.

At this point, your plan is just to nebulous and fraught with difficulties for us to make too many suggestions except to note that at present, your plan calls for driving 2000 miles in a week, and attending Bonnaroo, and visiting Austin, and you'd like to add more. Instead, you should all sit down and have a long discussion about what you really want to see/do with an eye to cutting back on the miles and concentrating instead on having an enjoyably, and equally shared, trip.

Buck, I think you may have misinterpreted the post - the way I read it, these folks are looking for a place to go instead of Bonnaroo?

If any of you are under 18, you need to look at camping or staying with friends/relatives only, because hotel rooms will be out of the question. Someplace within a single day's drive would make this a lot easier.

I think Buck might have misunderstood - if I'm reading you correctly, you're now looking to take a weeklong trip somewhere instead of going to Bonnaroo, correct?

Austin seems like a good place that would fit your goals, perhaps also adding in San Antonio. Memphis, Nashville, or New Orleans also have good music scenes, and on the outer limit of what you could do, Albuquerque and Santa Fe might be options to consider too.

However, keep in mind, especially with music, that your ages may be a bit limiting factor since clubs tend to cater to the over 21 crowds. I suspect there are some all-ages options in each of those places, but you'd really have to look into it first.

We aren't going to Bonnaroo, because there are two people that can't afford it at this moment, and we decided that it's worth it to plan something else than to lose anyone. That's the whole reason that we're trying to find somewhere else to go, so that we have time to save up more. The reason that we don't have a set idea of who will pay for what is because we're waiting to decide on what we want to do, get an idea of how much the trip will cost, and then to see how to split the bill. We've already decided on the car (it's not mine and I'm not sure the type or year without asking, and the person is in class at the moment), and they do have insurance. Right now, there are two of us that are minors, but by the end of May we will all be 18 or older.

Gas, since you all are using the same vehicle, should be split evenly between. You can do this either by everyone contributing at the same time to a "fuel fund", or take turns covering the fill up. Oil and any wear on the car should also be figured in.

Food....since everyone eats differently, I'd highly suggest asking for "separate checks" and each paying for their own meals as you go. For snacks and drinks in the car, each person should buy what they need.

Overnights....split the bill evenly.

Sightseeing ... will depend on where you are going. If it's a "carload" (such as state or national parks), you can split it evenly. For theme park, movie theater, museums, admissions, the best way is each on their own.

The above is from personal experience, traveling with a friend or two while I was in college.

If you will all be 18, this simplifies things greatly. You won't have legal issues to be concerned about (except entering some establishments where alcohol is served) and most (but not all) hotels will rent rooms to you. Someone needs a credit card (most, but not all, will accept a debit card) to get hotel rooms but you can always settle the bill with cash on checkout.

If you're coming from central Arkansas and are looking for the music scene I'm sure you've been to Branson, but it might be worth considering as a stop-over point if you end up heading north (Chicago?). There's also a great place to eat called The Cave Restaurant in Richland, MO that is absolutely a one-of-a-kind experience.